A Token
by NikkiB1973
Summary: Bella arranges to go cliff diving with Jacob. He can tell she is withdrawing from him but isn't sure why. What is she hiding? Set in New Moon AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A Token**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-set in New Moon AU.**_

**Part One **

Jacob knew something was wrong with Bella as soon as he saw her. She couldn't seem to look him straight in the eye and she kept fidgeting nervously, biting her bottom lip, as she avoided his gaze. Her long, brown hair swept around her thin shoulders as she hung her head and stared down at her feet while they walked along First Beach. It was another crisp, cold day as they strolled across the sand. Their breath fogged in the air in front of them. Jacob was going to take Bella's hand in his own but she had them shoved in the deep pockets of her thick jacket; a long scarf wound around her neck to keep out the cold. Jacob didn't have to worry about the cold anymore. He wore a pair of denim jeans cut into shorts with a thin t-shirt covering his upper half. Anyone who saw him would think he was mad walking outside with no protection, but he was always hot these days, all the time. Though at this particular moment, as he glanced worriedly at Bella, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

"You seem a little tense." He dared to ask her. "Didn't you sleep well?" He knew she suffered nightmares.

"Um...not too badly." Bella glanced at him and gave him a nervous smile before staring back down at her feet.

"That's good." Jacob felt his stomach roil as he peered at her again. Something was definitely up. She seemed to be reverting back to the early days of their friendship where she hardly said a word. She had been slowly getting better over the last few months, and Jacob knew that was down to his careful treatment of her. To him she had been like a fragile bird which had been injured. He had coaxed her gently back to life until she got to the point where she sometimes smiled and on occasion even laughed. Her skin glowed again, and there was a light in her eyes. He hated the thought that all his careful work in putting her back together had come to naught. Something heavy was on her mind and he had a bad feeling it was something to do with him.

They continued to walk along the beach in silence; their feet left deep indents in the sand until the tide drew up and washed them away. It made Jacob feel like they were ghosts. They were there one minute and then they were gone. The analogy frightened him. There was a lot of frightening things these days. Bella's presence in his life had lightened the burden he had to live with daily. The thought of her not being there made him panic. The anxiety continued to build up inside him, but still he said nothing. He worried that if he did, she would say the words that would tear his life apart for a second time.

* * *

><p>"Are you okay?" Billy asked his son in concern when Jacob finally came inside after dropping Bella back home.<p>

"Yes." Jacob replied shortly. He went into the kitchen and poured himself some milk. The cold liquid did nothing to stem the tide of nausea welling up his throat.

"Bella okay?" Billy checked. He studied Jacob warily. He could tell by the tense set of his shoulders that something was bothering him.

"Yes." Jacob couldn't seem to voice words of more than one syllable. He ran a hand through his damp hair and marched back out to the hall. "I'm going for a run." He called out before leaving.

Billy sighed as he rolled his chair over toward the window. He looked out to see his son transform as he reached the tree line. The magnificent red wolf turned to glance back at the little redwood house before disappearing into the forest.

* * *

><p>Bella sat in front of her computer and checked the delivery details for the hundredth time. The tracking information said the items were on their way. Not for the first time she wondered whether she was being a fool. But it was too late now. The items had been ordered and had already been shipped. She stared at the screen for a moment before shutting the web page down. As she glanced out of her bedroom window she saw that it was raining again. She felt forlorn as the raindrops splattered against the cold pane of glass. It made her feel on edge. Jacob was supposed to take her cliff diving tomorrow, she hoped that the weather would have cleared up by the morning or their little slice of fun would have to be cancelled.<p>

* * *

><p>Jacob knew he wouldn't be able to spend the morning with Bella after all. He and the pack had spent most of the night hours tracking and chasing down the vengeful red head. He had come home in the early hours and crashed for a while, before getting up again ready to head out. Before he left he placed a call to the Swan house and left a message for Bella to tell her that he wouldn't be able to meet up with her after all. He begged her to stay inside. He felt every muscle in his body tense as the adrenaline began to surge through his veins. Maybe today would be the day when he and the others would be able to end the threat to Bella's life for good.<p>

* * *

><p>Bella had overslept. She woke up at ten in the morning and cursed herself inwardly. She should have been at the cliff top by now with Jacob. She hurriedly got dressed and pulled her long hair back into a messy ponytail. She shoved some spare clothes in a backpack and ran out of the house. Before she left she caught sight of a package addressed to her lying on the hall table. So her items had arrived. Charlie must have left them there before leaving for work. Bella was in too much of a hurry to see the light winking on the answering machine indicating that she had a message. She climbed in her truck and turned on the loud rumbling engine before backing out of the drive.<p>

As she drove toward La Push it began to rain again. She bit her bottom lip anxiously until she tasted blood in her mouth. If the weather worsened again they wouldn't be able to jump. Bella had been feeling so tense lately. The thought of doing something a little daring had buoyed her up after days of being cooped up inside because of Victoria. She hit the wheel of the truck in frustration before speeding up a little. Perhaps Jacob would still agree to go. After all he was a werewolf, what was the risk if he was with her?

This thought brightened her mood and she relaxed a little. Jacob would make things right, then perhaps she would pluck up the courage to show him what she had bought. The package was burning a hole in the pocket of her thick jacket. She just hoped she hadn't read things wrong. She didn't trust her own judgement anymore. After all she had thought that Edward had loved her, and she had been wrong about that. Bella's anxiety kicked in again as she gripped the steering wheel for dear life. She began to regret bringing the package with her. Perhaps she should wait. All these thoughts whirled through her mind as she stared at the road ahead; she weighed all the pros and cons as she continued on her journey. In the end it didn't matter. As she parked up not far from the cliff edge she saw that Jacob wasn't there.

* * *

><p>The red head was just within his reach. He stretched out his neck, his huge jaws gaping open as he tried to get a grip on her slippery skin with his sharp teeth, but once again she evaded him. Jacob could do nothing but watch as Victoria dived from the cliff edge and into the grey foaming sea. He stood immobile staring down into the crashing waves as they hit the rocky crevices with brute force. His sharp eyes caught sight of her red hair, a vibrant marker against the choppy water as she swam out toward the horizon. The red fur along Jacob's back blew every which way in the gale force winds as rain began to fall heavily. He shuddered for a moment as he thought about the aborted cliff dive. He was just glad that Bella was inside, safe. Some instinct inside of him made his head turn toward the high cliff where they were supposed to jump from, and there she was. His breath left his body in a groan as he saw her perched on the cliff's edge. Her feet were dangling over the rim; her head bent as she stared down at the water below. What the hell was she doing?<p>

Jacob took off at a sprint, his heart thundering in his chest as he weaved and bobbed his way through the trees as he ran desperately to meet her and stop her from jumping off the edge. Her odd behaviour over the last few days came back to haunt him as he thought about how withdrawn she had been. The loss of the leech had consumed her. Jacob had been fooling himself into thinking that he had managed to glue the broken pieces of Bella Swan back together. His friendship hadn't been enough. He hadn't been enough. His wild emotions were heightened being in his wolf form; the pack could feel every one of them. Jacob phased back as soon as he was within six feet of Bella. Thank fully she hadn't moved from her spot. He ran over to her on silent feet and sat down beside her. His sudden appearance startled her and she stared at him wide eyed.

"Why Bells?" He choked out. "Why?" His words were torn away by the wind as the heavens cried a fountain of tears, drowning them both.

* * *

><p>Bella took a moment to get over her shock. She pushed the strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail away from her face and studied the tense boy, no man, sitting so rigidly beside her. "Why what?" She asked him in confusion.<p>

"Why do you want to hurt yourself this way?" Jacob pleaded with her. His dark eyes, usually so full of confidence, were now filled with despair. It made Bella's heart ache.

"Hurt myself?" She felt utterly bewildered. "I'm only sitting here thinking."

"Thinking? On the edge of a cliff? With a storm approaching?" Jacob threw his hands up in the air pointing at the darkening sky.

Bella squinted up at the dark clouds and then down toward the wild sea as it crashed against the rocks below. The violence of the scene stunned her. It hadn't been that way when she had first sat down to wait for Jacob. She had been so deep in thought she truly hadn't noticed. She looked at him suddenly, feeling a lick of anger mixed with disappointment flood her body. "My god you assumed I was going to jump? Didn't you?" She snapped harshly. She fumbled in the pocket of her coat and pulled out a small black box. "Here." She shoved it in his hand and climbed to her feet before walking back to her truck.

Jacob stared at the ring box for a second. He finally opened it to reveal a silver ring inside. It was a man's ring and it was inscribed with something. He pulled it carefully out of the box and held it between his fingers as he read the inscription.

_To Jake, my wolf boy and best friend in the world, love your Bells_

A gasp left his lips as he put the ring on the finger of his right hand and gazed at it. A faint memory from a few weeks previous filled his mind. He and Bella had been sharing a soda while he worked on the Rabbit. She had jokingly come up to him with the ring pull and tried to shove it on his finger. "This is a friendship ring." She had joked when it got stuck halfway. They had both laughed, but he guessed now she was trying to measure his ring size. All her odd behaviour made sense now. It was so like Bella to clam up when she was nervous about something. It must have cost her lot to buy this for him. It was her admitting she was ready to put the memory of the bloodsucker behind her.

Jacob leapt gracefully to his feet and ran over to the truck. The rain ran like rivulets down his bare torso and his hair stuck to his head as he yanked the passenger door open of the truck and slid in beside her. Bella glanced at his ring finger sadly. "It fits." She whispered.

"It fits." Jacob smiled at her gently. He took her hands, finally realising she was wearing an identical ring to his own. He rubbed his finger over it and then lowered his lips to kiss her chilled fingers. "I'm sorry. I got the wrong end of the stick. What can I say? I'm an ass..." He gazed at her from under his long lashes, his eyes begging forgiveness.

Bella let out a sigh of relief. Her lips curved up into an answering smile. He liked it. He didn't think she was an idiot. All her worries fell away. "No you're not an ass, Jake." She quipped. "A stupid wolf maybe...but not an ass."

* * *

><p>Bella drove home, her hand resting in Jacob's, as she admitted to him how nervous and worried she had been about his reaction. He laughed at her fears and teased her little. His happiness infected her and she relaxed against him; his body heat warming her chilled skin. She pulled up outside her house and turned off the loud engine. The resulting silence was deafening. Jacob was looking at her intently, the light in his eyes was doing funny things to her insides. She shifted closer to him and stared down at their joined hands.<p>

"You like the ring?" She checked one last time. "It's not too much?"

"I love the ring. It's perfect. Just like you." Jacob replied huskily. There was no longer any trace of teasing in his tone.

Bella dared to glance up at him and the breath caught in her throat as she realised how near his lips were to hers. She swallowed nervously and locked eyes with him. "Do...do you want to come in?"

Jacob nodded. He grinned at her as Bella began to open the door of her truck. As soon as the cold air wafted in the vehicle, it carried something along with it, the sickening scent of vampire...

_**A/N-thanks for reading! **_


	2. Chapter 2

**A Token**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews. Nikki **_

**Part Two**

Bella was astonished when Jacob suddenly reached across her and slammed her door shut. His eyes were wild as he peered into the dark night. "What is it?" She asked fearfully. She couldn't see a thing.

"Vampire." He hissed as he quickly pulled her across him and swapped places so he was now in the driving seat.

"Vampire?" Bella's voice shook; the loud engine startling her as Jacob switched it on. "Victoria?"

Jacob didn't answer her as he glanced in the wing mirrors and began to back the truck out of the drive. Bella's fingers clenched together tightly in her lap as the headlights swept along the road, illuminating the parked cars as they drove past. The strong beams hit a black Mercedes, bathing the sleek vehicle in bright light. A choked gasp left Bella's lips as she stared at the car. It was one she recognised, it was Carlisle Cullen's car.

"Stop, Jake. Stop." She cried out.

Jacob stared at her, uncomprehending. "I need to get you out of here."

"That Mercedes. It's Carlisle's car. He's here. Jake stop." Bella begged him again.

A hurt look crossed Jacob's handsome face as he slammed on the brakes, throwing himself and Bella forward as the truck shuddered to a halt. He looked at her incredulously. "You can't mean to go and see them, Bells?"

"I need to." Bella was already opening her door and jumping out of the truck.

"No." Jacob followed after her swiftly and caught her by the arms, spinning her around to face him. "They left you, Bella."

Bella's eyes were bright and eager as she turned her head away from him to gaze at her house. "I need answers, Jake. Come with me."

"I won't be able to control myself, Bella." He replied fiercely.

Bella turned back to face him. "Of course you can. You're Jake. Please. I need to see what they want, otherwise I will always wonder..."

Jacob gritted his teeth, still stung that she wanted to see the leeches. He glared at the parked car, his top lip curling back with anger. He felt Bella touch his arm, her brown eyes were lambent as they looked at him pleadingly. "Please." She begged again.

"You damn well stay right behind me. Do you understand?" Jacob whispered harshly.

Bella nodded. "I will do as you say." She smiled at him nervously. "Thanks."

Jacob didn't reply. He took a deep breath to psyche himself up before placing her behind him. Very slowly he walked toward the house. Bella passed him the front door key and he opened the door carefully, all his senses alert as he entered the house first. Immediately his nostrils were assaulted with the strong scent of vampire. He gagged a little. He could smell two at least. He reached behind him and grabbed hold of Bella's hand. The touch of her cool skin on his calmed the wolf down inside him.

"Are they here?" Bella said softly.

"Yes. I can sense two of them." Jacob replied.

Bella shivered with anticipation. She reached out and fumbled for the light switch, flooding the hall with brightness. Her eyes squinted a little as she tried to see clearly. Jacob stiffened in front of her and his hold on her hand tightened. Her eyes widened as two figures emerged from the living room and came slowly into the hall to meet them. One was Alice, her small frame dwarfed by the tall male by her side. The breath flew from Bella's body in a sad sigh as she met the limpid eyes of the man she loved, the man who had deserted her in the cold woods when he had decided to shatter her heart into a million pieces. His Adonis like features were tortured as he stepped forward a little, stopping suddenly as he was confronted by Jacob's massive figure. His nose wrinkled a little as if in distaste as he assessed Jacob carefully.

"I have come across your kind before. I thought you were all extinct."

Jacob growled low in his chest as Bella hovered behind him, her eyes still riveted on Edward. "I have had enough of your kind to last me a lifetime." Jacob retorted. His deep voice broke Bella out of her spell.

"What on earth are you doing here, Edward?" She mumbled.

Edward's golden eyes travelled back to her. Bella could see the sadness of the whole world reflected in them. "Hello, Bella. I have been so worried about you. Alice had a vision, which she shared with me. She saw you sitting on the edge of a cliff, you were so sad. I couldn't bear it any longer I had to come back. I was a fool..."

Bella frowned a little as she stepped around Jacob and stood by his side. She felt his strong arm wind itself around her waist possessively. His warmth gave her strength as she faced Edward. "Yes, you were a fool." She tried to infuse some confidence in her voice. She glanced at Alice. Edward's sibling was frowning, as if expecting that this meeting was not going as she anticipated. Maybe Jacob's presence was throwing her.

Edward seemed put out by her response. His eyes flicked to Jacob's arm around her. He seemed annoyed. "Bella may I speak to you alone?" He asked her.

"NO." Jacob ground out.

"Does he speak for you, Bella?" Edward's voice was laced with steel.

Bella felt Jacob begin to shudder, a sure sign he was on the verge of shifting. She slipped her arm around his waist and squeezed. Her touch calmed him again and he regained control. She could see that Edward had noticed. "No, I speak for myself. Jake was just sticking up for me against the man who left me for dead in the forest when he dumped me." She said coldly.

Edward flinched at both her words and the sharp tone of her voice. Alice looked at him uneasily. "Edward, perhaps this..."

He cut her off by holding up his hand. "Bella, I did not mean for you to get hurt in that way. I left you near the path that was supposed to lead you back to the house..."

"Really?" Bella spat out. Eight months of sadness which had slowly built up into anger and resentment suddenly burst forth. "Why couldn't you have just dumped me here, in the house? Why take me in the woods at all? I got lost. If not for Sam Uley I would have died out there. If not for Jake and the pack I would be..." She stopped her tirade suddenly as she shared a glance with Jacob. Some internal instinct told her not to mention Victoria. She hoped Jacob wasn't thinking about the vengeful redhead otherwise Edward would read his mind.

"Bella, I am so sorry. I thought..."

"Oh just shut up, Edward." Bella snapped impatiently. "I am done with your pathetic excuses."

"Bella?" Alice interjected, shocked at her behaviour.

"Don't Bella me, Alice Cullen. You were supposed to be my best friend. You just upped and left without a word too. You are no better than that sad excuse for a brother. Oh but then you aren't actually related, are you?" Bella sneered.

Jacob laughed loudly at Edward and Alice's astonished expressions. He pulled Bella closer and gazed triumphantly at the vamps. They both looked like Bella had slapped them round the face; which metaphorically, she had. "I think you should both leave now. You are stinking up the joint." He quipped.

Bella laughed suddenly, even though she had no idea what he meant by that. She stepped aside to give both Alice and Edward room to move past them down the hall. Alice tugged on Edward's arm. "I think we should go. I told you this was a bad idea."

Edward seemed confused. He followed his sibling toward the front door, drawing to a halt before stepping outside. "Bella, I love you. I never meant to hurt you. If you let me explain..."

"No. You lost that right a long time ago. I don't love you anymore, Edward. Goodbye." Bella replied firmly, looking him straight in the eyes.

Edward deflated right before her eyes. Alice tugged on his arm again. "Come." She urged him. This time he allowed her to pull him out of the house.

Bella waited a moment before leaving Jacob's side and closing the door behind them. She held her breath for a moment before exhaling deeply. She felt Jacob come up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You did well, honey."

Bella sagged against him, drawing on his strength as always. "Can you give me a hug?" She begged him.

"Always." Jacob twisted her around and pulled her into a comforting bear hug as she cried silent tears.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! **_


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